Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice
by Bellethreal
Summary: Bakugou is a part-time assassin, a side job he slowly found that he's good at. He's taken out plenty of people without any evidence pointing towards it being him, and now he's gotten a request to take out up and coming hero Todoroki Shouto. It turns out he's really fucking hard to kill. Among other problems that arise. (todobaku / bakutodo)
1. Local Pretty Boy Needs to Die

The day Bakugou got news from an associate that someone wanted his services, it didn't take long for them to meet up. Bakugou was cautious at first. While he wasn't a big blip on the government's radar, they probably wouldn't mind having a chance to arrest him. When he saw some nervous looking employee who probably wasn't getting paid enough for this shit, Bakugou decided that this was the real deal. Bosses almost never showed up in person and tended to send the smallest wreck they could for what Bakugou assumed was so he didn't feel "threatened."

A bar really didn't seem like the best place to meet up, but it honestly was the perfect cover. Annoying music playing overhead, the seemingly constant screech of people pushing back their chairs to stand, and the people themselves celebrating way too loudly for whatever reason. Despite looking rather shady, Bakugou with a black hoodie pulled low over his face and a nervous guy in a suit, people hardly spared them a second glance.

Swallowing hard, the man slid a few papers across the small table. "This is the target." He cleared his throat and straightened up, trying to put on a formal front. "Here's all the information we have on him, name, quirk, the agency he works at, and things you should know about him and his abilities."

Before Bakugou flipped the papers over, a waitress came over to them, bright smile on her face as she asked what they'd like to order. Bakugou knew the smile was fake. There was no way a pretty girl like her could be happy serving in this rundown bar all day, though he could tell by her cheap looking makeup, bags under her eyes, and the tight grip she had on her notepad, that her life was probably less than desirable. The look in her eyes told him she expected him to be an awful customer, and Bakugou couldn't really blame her considering the whistles she'd gotten from others as she made her way to the table.

None of the information was really important— he wouldn't remember her after a day or so— but it was sort of a game for him:. to look at people and guess what life they had, what they were really feeling under the mask of a smile. As an assassin, reading people was essential. While being more of a long distance killer, sometimes it was impossible to not try to get closer to the target and learn about their hidden weaknesses. At times, people were so surrounded by others that he had to put on a front to get them alone. What the front was depended on the person.

Bakugou put in his order for a fruity drink with little alcohol. People can say what they want, but he was not a fan of being impaired. Having a clear head was very much preferable thank you very much. To no surprise, the employee didn't order anything, which was the only reason Bakugou got something for himself. Getting kicked out of the bar for sitting around and not ordering anything wasn't a preferred outcome.

With the waitress gone, Bakugou turned his attention back to the papers. Flipping them over he blinked in surprise, wondering if they gotten some pretty boy model mixed up with a hero. The guy couldn't have been any older than Bakugou was. The picture looked a little shaky, like a fan taking a picture of celebrity but trying not to be obvious about it. Regardless, those mismatched were fixed directly on the camera, looking rather unimpressed. Something about that look pissed Bakugou off. Who the hell did this guy think he is?

It wasn't until he looked further down and saw a picture of the guy in his hero costume did it finally click. Todoroki Shouto, up and coming hero fresh out of U.A. From what Bakugou has heard the guy had an insanely strong quirk, was extremely smart, and seemed just like a typical OP hero from a movie.

Even though Bakugou already wanted to fight him, the guy hadn't done anything wrong as far as he knew.

"You guys sought me out, so you should know what targets I'll accept. Or at least I fucking hope so, otherwise this is a total waste of time. Corrupt heroes, asshole business owners, a few shitty people with abusive tendencies. Fuckers like that. If I killed every guy who looked like an asshole, the government would have probably tracked me down by now." He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

The employee shifted nervously under Bakugou's glare, "He's not as perfect as he appears. Being a guy with power and money like him, things can get covered up easily. We are fully aware that you're uh, particular, about your targets." It wasn't questioned aloud, but Bakugou could tell the guy was wondering why Bakugou didn't just take every assignment. He was already a killer, so why not?

Others could say what they wanted, but Bakugou wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing he killed an innocent person. Sure, no one was truly innocent. Everyone was shitty in their own special way. But Bakugou drew the line at making everyone else's life worse and taking advantage of others. Bakugou was aware that he, himself, was one of those people who could have been better off dead, but if he could take down a few bastards before he went out himself, that was fine by him.

"So, have you uncovered anything? If not you can tell your boss to piss off for me." He knew he was being difficult, but he had to be, or else any asshole with a lot of money could push him around. If Bakugou was going to do work for others, it had to be by his rules.

At least his attitude was finally making the employee go from nervous to annoyed. "If you looked at the papers, you'd see what we have against him." His fingers drummed against the table, not even looking up when the waitress returned.

"Thank you." Bakugou accepted the drink and took the time to look up at her. He didn't smile back, but when she said, "Enjoy your drink," it felt more genuine than the smile she gave them earlier.

They were both silent while Bakugou looked through the rest of the papers. It was almost laughable at how little evidence they had against this guy. Assault accusations that didn't add up, vague photos, a few instances where someone would make a claim against him online and the post got taken down. If there was definite proof Todoroki did the things these people claimed he did, Bakugou would say yes.

"Is this it? It's like you guys got this off of some fucking 'this hero is secretly a villain!' conspiracy theory blog made by an edgy teenager. I already don't like taking out heroes, much less one who's the son of the world's current top hero. Just admit it. You guys don't have shit against him." Bakugou had enough of this. He had a life, he didn't need to be wasting his time on some dead-end job request. Scooting his chair back, he more than ready to leave when the guy started panicking again.

"Wait!"

"No, we're done here." Bakugou downed his drink as he stood up, then started to open his wallet to rummage for some money to pay for the drink and a tip.

"Do you know how much you'll get paid for this?"

Bakugou leaned over, one hand on the table so his eyes were level with the employee. "You realize how much I don't give a fuck?" he growled. Fucking hell, sure he liked having money, but he wasn't about to bend over to every dickwad with a lot of cash.

"You mentioned his dad, so you know about him, right?" The man rushed out the words, clearly desperate to keep Bakugou here. "The man couldn't care less about the lives he saves. His wife is in a mental hospital, son has a suspicious burn mark over his eye, and there has been an unbelievable amount of evidence that suggesting he's not a good man."

Well, he got Bakugou to stay. Standing straight, he motioned his hand for the man to continue, _and your point is?_

"Shouto is showing a lot of the same traits as his father. Taking out his dad would be too risky, we know, but his son wouldn't cause as much as an uproar. His dad will get old and retire someday, do we really need another copy of him taking his place?"

Bakugou bit his lip. The guy was right, but Bakugou wasn't sure if he'd be willing to take someone's life on what they could be. "Here's what we'll pay you," on one of the papers the guy scribbled down some numbers. That caught Bakugou's attention even more and he hated that. He was doing fine, but holy shit that was a lot of money.

"I'm not saying yes, but I'll shadow the guy for a few days. If I decide he's like his dad and worth the effort to take out, then I'll do it." He could spare a few days to check this guy out. Of course Bakugou would be pissed if this guy turned up to be a dead-end, but if it wasn't, Bakugou would be set for life. He could quit this part of his life.

 _But could I really act like I haven't taken dozens of lives?_

"Great." Bakugou didn't like the guy's smile, it was like he won something. "Thank you for considering the offer. If you take it, call this number. If we don't hear back from you in the next few weeks, we'll assume it's a no and move on to someone else." The man wrote down a number on one of the papers.

Bakugou nodded, resuming his task of getting money out to pay. As the man got up and walked past him, Bakugou could tell the guy was looking at his wallet. He never carried his ID in such obvious spot while on his second job. These guys definitely weren't above blackmail, and what if he lost it? No way. While some people liked making a huge name for themselves, spreading their influence, Bakugou didn't want to be a target. It'd without a doubt be all over the news if he got caught. He could already hear " _I knew he'd turn out like that."_

Bakugou had just put down the money when the waitress returned. "Have a nice night," he mumbled as he passed her.

Now he had something to do besides his mindless day job. Bakugou hated the relief it brought him. It once again made him doubt if he could truly quit this life. With no dreams or aspirations in life, planning and executing an assassination was the only time he had a goal. He couldn't be content with a simple life of go to work, find a wife, grow old, retire. With being a hero out of the picture, what else could he do?

Well, a lot. But nothing appealed to him in any way, he might as well continue doing what he was already doing. Not like you can undo a murder. Romance wasn't an option either, he couldn't remember the last time he had a friend, much less an interest in someone else. After getting out of high school, he thought he'd have a fresh start, but in the end he didn't want to befriend anyone and brushed off everyone else's attempts to befriend him. A one night stand was as far as he'd go with someone.

Coming home was a relief.

"I'm home," he announced to no one in particular. Bakugou felt like it was a little sad calling out to no one but a cat, but goddamn it he had no one else to greet, so why not?

Somewhere in the house there was a _thump_ and soon he heard the pattering noises of an approaching cat. The cat was getting older, about ten years old, but that didn't prevent him from yowling at the top of his lungs while approaching Bakugou.

"Hey asshole." Bakugou leaned over to scoop up that cat, who hissed in protest despite purring 0.2 seconds later. Before he left home, his parents had gotten a cat and named the orange furball "Pumpkin." Despite his best efforts to make the damn thing leave him alone, the cat loved him more than anyone else in the household and ended up joining him when he moved out.

At first Bakugou saw the cat as burden, just something he had to take care of and deal with on a daily basis. Now, Pumpkin was more of a comfort. He could talk out loud and not feel crazy and having something living nearby kept him from going insane in the silence of his apartment. Also, he might like cuddling Pumpkin. He _might_.

Through the blinds in the kitchen Bakugou could see the fading light, but it wasn't dark enough yet for him to flip on a light switch. He liked the orange glow it casted into the kitchen and, for reasons purely based on aesthetic, he wanted to cook before he ran out of daylight and had to turn on the kitchen's light. First came feeding the cat, which was a long process of Bakugou shoving Pumpkin off the counter so he could crack open the can and dump it into the bowl.

"Here you go you little shit," Bakugou mumbled to the yowling cat as he put down the bowl.

He shook his head in despair as Pumpkin wolfed down the food the food with no grace, unable to make more unappealing noises while eating.

Tuning out the sound of his cat eating, Bakugou began to make dinner for himself. He paused for a moment to get his laptop. Within a minute, music was playing, and Bakugou was singing along to words that didn't really fit the peaceful motions of cooking. His singing wasn't the best and sometimes he'd get a noise complaint, but fuck it, it wasn't late and no one but himself could stop him.

Once he had dinner cooked and was seated, he turned down the music and decided to put his own research into Todoroki Shouto. After well over an hour of surfing through articles and videos, Bakugou hadn't really found anything bad about him. What he did learn though was that the hype about his strength wasn't over exaggerated. Todoroki very much lived up to the praise. Bakugou found himself smiling a bit at that. He always welcomed a challenge.


	2. Best Boy Appears

Now Todoroki was deciding between a stalker and an assassin. Sadly, people trying to kill him was nothing new. Even as a child people targeted the Todoroki family to get back at Endeavor. When Todoroki was a teenager and he began to go at U.A, attacks towards him became more commonplace. Villains feared his power and how much stronger he would become the older he got. It'd be easier in the long run to take him out while young.

Todoroki became numb to the attacks over time. There wasn't genuinely a reason to fear for his life. Assassins hadn't managed to even _graze_ him with a bullet or blow of any kind when he was a teenager. What chance did they stand now?

Days went by with no attempt on his life (save for the normal hazard of fighting villains). Now, he was starting to write the person off as a stalker and became even more careful to keep the door to his apartment locked at all times and the blinds to his window closed. Just what the hell did the person want?

It wasn't until he was heading home a few nights after he first noticed the stalker did something truly feel off. Todoroki trusted his instincts and kept his ears peeled for any out of place noises. Going down a rather unused street, his nerves were almost out of hand. He didn't want to write off this feeling as paranoia and end up dead, but he also didn't want to overthink all this.

Somewhere behind him, there was a loud _POP!_ And he promptly sent up a wall of ice behind him. Todoroki spun around and was met with a bullet buried in the ice, causing a spiderweb of cracks. Had he not defended himself, the bullet would without a doubt have hit his head. Without a doubt now Todoroki knew this person was an assassin, and a presumably skilled one at that.

 _God,_ this was going to get annoying.

Whoever it was definitely ran the moment the shot failed to kill Todoroki. He no longer felt like he was being watched and only an idiot would stay behind after a failed attempt. Still, Todoroki kept his guard up as he melted the ice to retrieve the bullet. With any luck, the bullet's ballistic markings could lead back to the owner. Luck was the keyword here. Assassins rarely acquire their weapons through legal means.

One thing confused Todoroki: why did the assassin wait several days before making an attack? His first guess would be to judge his abilities, but that could easily be looked up online and be determined after observing him for one day. Were they waiting for him to do something? If so, what would that be? Todoroki couldn't recall doing anything different the past week that would push the assassin into action.

It was pointless to overthink it. The person was a villain. No other explanation needed.

Once he was in the safety of his apartment, Todoroki allowed himself to relax. It was a rather secure place to live, cameras everywhere and a key card needed to access the elevator. In here, he couldn't be touched unless he invited the assassin over. Considering how no one was invited over, the chances of that happening were pretty much non-existent.

Mindlessly, he turned on the TV to fill the apartment with some sort of noise while he took a shower. Once out, he was still drying his hair with a towel when he sat down on the couch to watch the news. His lips tugged a bit into a smile when he saw Midoriya. On terms of popularity, Todoroki and Midoriya were about equal, but given Midoriya's amiable personality, he was gaining fans rather quickly and reporters had a blast interviewing him.

Todoroki wondered when the last time they talked was. It had been awhile at least.. Last time they saw each other in person had been at dinner along with their other classmates. Thinking about it, Todoroki realized that it had been almost a year ago. That was way too long of a time for them not to have even chatted. Todoroki pulled out his phone to send a quick text to Midoriya, to see how he was doing, but stopped himself. If Midoriya, or any of his classmates for that matter, wanted to talk, they'd talk. No need to bother them.

Other familiar faces appeared on the news, and Todoroki was genuinely happy for everyone. Despite all their boasting back in school, about how _they_ were going to be number one, everyone was a little worried that they wouldn't make a name for themselves. Todoroki was included in that, fearing the shadow of his father.

His stomach rumbling reminded him that it was getting late and he hadn't eaten. Usually on the way home he'd stop to eat, but the assassination attempt rattled him more than he'd like to admit. Not wanting to leave his apartment, Todoroki decided it would be best to order food. He was sure the assassin wouldn't try to make a second try on his life in one day, but he was hungry and didn't feel like having his dinner ruined if he was wrong. It was a bit of pain to have food delivered due to the strict security, but it was better than having another try on his life.

Whoever was after him would hopefully learn that they didn't stand a chance. Todoroki wasn't planning on going anytime soon. It was a game: catch the assassin or get assassinated. And it was a game Todoroki planned on winning.

* * *

Day One was the easiest. Todoroki went about his day not suspecting anything was off. While it kind of sucked to be trailing a guy on his day off, the alternative was sitting at home and talking to Pumpkin. Which, Bakugou already did way too much.

It was interesting to watch Todoroki work. He was the ideal hero, taking villains out with minimal collateral damage and injuries to civilians. This also meant that so far, despite being a rather aloof fellow, nothing he did could count as wrong.

Day Two, Todoroki was looking around more. Glances over his shoulders, looking more carefully into alleyways, and peering up at tall buildings. There was no fucking way he was already onto someone following him… right? Regardless Bakugou had to be more careful. Luckily, nothing about his appearance really stood out so blending in with the crowd wasn't very difficult.

Day Three, Bakugou had Todoroki's routine down and realized something. Todoroki was too fucking pretty. Like _holy shit_ , no one should look good after being sucker punched to the stomach and sent flying to the ground. Except, he got up, still looking like he belonged in a boy band. It was bullshit. Why it pissed Bakugou off so much, he didn't know.

Day Four, Bakugou was ready to give up when Todoroki had finally done something that pissed him off. Sure, Bakugou understood that heroes were busy people, but the guy had utterly ignored a group of young kids who just wanted to get an autograph and a chance to talk to their favorite hero. He wasn't busy at the moment and had no reason that Bakugou see to shut down those kids that badly. Not even a glance in their direction, expression almost hardening in a cold way as he went by. The broken-hearted look they had was truly the thing that sent Bakugou over.

Bakugou decided then that the guy was like his father. His father was much the same way when it came to fans. Cold eyes and completely shutting them down. Countless people could back up the fact the dude was an asshole, but he saved more people than anyone else, so it often got overlooked. There were rumors that Todoroki was only born to surpass the old number one hero, All Might. It seemed that since Endeavor couldn't do that himself, he had passed on that goal to his son.

Years ago there had been a villain, Hero Killer Stain, who believed heroes should be heroes because they want to help people, not for the fame or money. Bakugou didn't really agree with everything, but he did see the reasoning behind it and agreed with him in some aspects. While Bakugou certainly wasn't going to follow in the man's footsteps, taking out someone like Todoroki didn't seem like a bad idea. A guy like that didn't need to end up being high up in the hero ranks, and heaven forbid the number one hero.

Work the next morning had him tense while he was thinking about how he'd go through with it. Sure, he had thought about it plenty the night before, but Bakugou wanted to make sure that if he didn't succeed, he'd be able to get away. Using a rifle and remaining far back seemed like the best course of action. By now, Bakugou had memorized Todoroki's path. After checking into the agency, he'd patrol, usually end up in a fight, lunch, patrol some more, go back to the agency to do paperwork, then he'd leave and go down a rather deserted street that lead to another much more busy street filled with diners and cafes. He'd stop at one place for dinner and then go home to a high security apartment.

Bakugou wanted as little, if any, witnesses as possible, so his best shot would be before Todoroki got to the busy street. If he failed, he'd have enough time to get away considering Todoroki would probably be too busy trying to figure out where the shot came from and trying to not get shot at again to reach him before he left.

Work was a mindless task of taking orders and making drinks until his favorite customer walked in. Kirishima Eijirou, yet another up and coming hero, who stopped by the coffee shop Bakugou worked at during breaks. At first, Bakugou couldn't stand the guy and purposefully got his name wrong every time he wrote it down on the coffee cup. Over time, Kirishima's enthusiasm rubbed off on him and Bakugou actually looked forward to him walking in. He still wrote down the wrong name, but now it was more of a joke between the two. Kirishima was the closest thing to a friend Bakugou had.

"Bakugou, my man, what's up?" Kirishima grinned the moment he entered the store, catching a few other customers attention with his loud greeting.

"When have I ever given you an answer besides "'nothing' or 'work'?" Bakugou questioned back, already starting to make his coffee. He got the same thing every time and after so many months, Bakugou simply had committed it to memory.

Kirishima shrugged and leaned against the counter. "I'm hoping one day you'll give me another answer, like 'I met the love of my life!' Or something dramatic like that. I don't know, something interesting."

That got a snort out of Bakugou. "Do I look like someone who'd go announcing they were in love?" He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand before he burned himself. Again. Kirishima was awfully distracting. "Is the coffee it, or are you gonna get something else?"

"I want that thing."

Bakugou turned around and gave him a blank stare. "What _thing?"_

Kirishima pointed vaguely at the display box filled with dozens of pastries. Scratch that. Kirishima is the worst customer, and judging by the stupid smile, he was being difficult on purpose. If Bakugou didn't know that this guy had a playful personality, he'd be pissed off by now. So, he grabbed a random pastry in the general direction where Kirishima was pointing.

"Wrong one."

"Oh fucking well," Bakugou muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Kirishima to hear, but not loud enough for a coworker to hear and get him berated or fired.

"You're lucky I'm an adventurous guy," Kirishima sighed as he got out his wallet.

"Here or to-go?"

"Here."

Bakugou handed over the food as Kirishima paid the cashier. It was usually to-go, but sometimes Kirishima wanted to make him suffer a little longer. He always sat as close to the counter as he possibly could so he could keep talking to Bakugou. It would forever be a mystery to Bakugou. Why was that guy so intent on talking to him? At first he wondered if it was maybe a bizarre way of flirting until Kirishima came in with friends and he saw that he acted that way to everybody.

"Hey I never asked, but do you have a quirk?" Kirishima asked once Bakugou came closer to him while cleaning the counter. His mouth was half full of the mystery pastry, but it didn't seem to stop him from trying to talk.

That wasn't a question Bakugou liked to answer. It's not that he didn't have a quirk, it's just that he never used it anymore and didn't plan on ever using it again. "Yes," he replied curtly, not looking up from where he was wiping.

Not seeing that he was uncomfortable with the topic, Kirishima pressed on "Ooh what is it?" He seemed way too excited. Didn't learning about other people's quirks stop being such a stunning thing in grade school?

"Explosions."

"Really? With a quirk like that, I'm surprised you didn't try and become a hero."

Bakugou froze for a second then continued to work, not answering.

"Bad topic. Got it."

Thank god Kirishima wasn't actually an idiot, he just acted like one.

The rest of the time Kirishima spent at the coffee shop was silent, and Bakugou went back to thinking about the task at hand: The assassination of Todoroki Shouto.

After work he made a brief stop at home to feed Pumpkin, change outfits, and get the gun he needed. He wore a simple black hoodie, jeans, gloves, and a medical mask to hide part of his face. Sure, Bakugou was very careful to make sure no one saw him, but accidents happened and he knew he wouldn't be able to take someone out after they saw his face.

"If I don't come back, tell the police you know nothing," Bakugou said sternly to Pumpkin who just meowed and bumped his head against Bakugou's leg. "Alright, as long as you know. Also, tell them to fuck off if they try to search the apartment." He leaned over to scratch Pumpkin behind his ear before heading off.

Bakugou couldn't believe that talking to his cat took up much needed time and now he had to run to get into position. The building he was going to be on a small convenience store. It wasn't very high, but the building next to it was what made it the perfect spot. It was much taller than the convenience store and would give Bakugou some cover. This also meant Bakugou had little time to aim and take the shot before the building would be in the way and he'd have to reposition himself.

Remembering his earlier scouting missions, once he got to the convenience store, he looped around to the back, upsetting some crows pecking through the trash. There was a ladder to the roof leaning haphazardly against the wall. Bakugou wasn't sure why, but he supposed sometimes getting onto a roof was needed. Or some teenagers liked sneak up there.

Setting everything up was a bit nerve wracking. Pulling the rifle out his bag, he double-checked to make sure the muffler was secure, _I've never taken on such a big hero before_. _Just a few no names who vastly abused what little power they had_. He got down on his stomach, gravel poking at him through his clothes. _Not to mention his reflexes are insane._ Bakugou had been so sure of his skills before this, but this guy had pro level powers when he was in high school.

Bakugou told himself to shut the fuck up and stop doubting himself. He vaguely aimed his rifle where Todoroki would presumably be. He had no reason to doubt his abilities; he was _amazing_ at what he did. Cops never had a single clue as to who did it. This was no different. Piece of cake.

When Todoroki came into view, Bakugou took a deep breath and relaxed. He had this. Taking aim, he let out the breath he was holding. A second later, he pulled the trigger.

Had the half'n'half asshole not sent up a wall of ice, he would have been dead. Growling frustration, Bakugou wasted no time tossing the gun in his bag and taking a running leap off the building, rolling as he hit the ground. In a second, he was on his feet and sprinting through back alleys, only letting up when he was sure Todoroki wasn't in pursuit.

 _Well, that fucking sucked._

Bakugou _knew_ deep down he probably wouldn't get Todoroki on the first try, but that didn't stop him from being pissed as all hell that the shit had quick enough reflexes to stop a fucking bullet.

Once home, he took everything off, shoes included, and threw them in the wash. No way that assassination attempt just then could get linked back to him, but it wouldn't stop him from taking precautions. If there was an investigation and they found gunpowder on his clothes, he'd be fucked.

Before getting dressed, he opened up the chest at the foot of his bed, took out the old blankets stored within and opened up the false bottom to put the rifle in with the other items Bakugou used for assassination. It was a simple trick, but hopefully one that would keep him protected in the long run. Of course he could just get rid of the guns and not kill people, but that didn't seem to be happening any time soon.

Todoroki had managed to _block a fucking bullet_ with no indication he was going to be assassinated. Like _what the fuck_. This was a point of pride now to take him out. A new problem arose: now that Todoroki knew someone was after him, this was going to get a lot harder and Bakugou needed to be a lot more creative.

For now though, he'll just lay on his couch with Pumpkin sitting on his stomach, softly ranting. Bakugou would rant louder if it weren't for the fact that he was angry about a failed assassination attempt, and his cat would leave him if he got too loud.

Tomorrow was another day. Now Bakugou had to figure out something else.


End file.
